King's popularity dips four points in most recent poll since publication of Earl Spencer's fiery Swan Song

Published: 12:46 EDT, 29 October 2026 | Updated: 12:48 EDT, 29 October 2026 The King's popularity has dipped to its lowest level ever in a sign that Earl Spencer's fiery book may have harmed the Royal Family's reputation.Polling by YouGov found nearly six in ten Britons (58 per cent) still have a positive opinion of King Charles, but that is down four points since the summer.At the same time, the number who view him negatively has risen three points to 34 per cent, the joint-highest proportion during his four-year reign.It comes a month after Princess Diana's brother Earl Spencer threw a series of damaging allegations at the monarch in his new book Swan Song, which was serialised in the Daily Mail in September.Among them was the claim that, in the wake of Diana's death, a frustrated Charles told the Earl: 'Rest assured, we'll forget her soon enough.'Buckingham Palace responded by saying the King was 'mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory in ways others do not recognise'.The poll revealed that Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, remain the most popular royals, with nearly three quarters of Britons (74 per cent) seeing them in a positive light. Their popularity has remained virtually unchanged in recent years.Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, are among the public's least favourite royals, with opinion even less favourable since they returned to the UK from California. King Charles, pictured boarding a plane to Guyana this week, has seen his popularity drop by four points since the summerJust 29 per cent of Britons have a positive opinion of Prince Harry, down four points since July, while roughly twice as many – a full 60 per cent – view the Duke unfavourably.Only one fifth (20 per cent) of Britons have a positive opinion of Meghan, while more than two-thirds (68 per cent) see her critically, up three points since the summer. It leaves the American princess with her lowest favourability rating to date. Meanwhile, positivity is high towards Princess Anne, with two thirds of the public (68 per cent) holding a favourable opinion of the Princess Royal. Queen Camilla is more divisive, with 42 per cent of people having a positive view of her and 45 per cent holding a negative one.The public also tend to be fond of the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh , with 51 per cent having positive opinions of Prince Edward and his wife Sophie.Bottom of the barrel is Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, who retains his status as one of the most unpopular people in the country.The new poll shows a mere 4 per cent of Britons hold a positive view of the one-time Duke of York, while nine in ten (89 per cent) see him in a negative light.Support for the monarchy is divided by generation. Four-fifths (81 per cent) of over-65s believe Britain should have a king or queen, compared with less than half of 18-24-year-olds (46 per cent). A third (33 per cent) of the younger generation say they would rather have an elected head of state.